(DOTM) New York is Always a Good Idea (Cverse)

[TCP1]

“A hundred times I have thought; New York is a catastrophe.”

- Le Corbusier

 

New York City doesn’t stop. It’s a living, breathing monument to chaos and beauty. And I won’t stop because despite the drama and anxiety; there is simply nowhere else I’d choose to be. We were destined to do this until one of us died. And let’s be serious, New York City will live forever.

 

Weston Gymnasium. New Year's Day 2020.

 

Yup, I was back. Nothing kept me away for too long. The stale smell of sweat, blood and tears permeated every surface. The familiar broom cupboard office. The white board in the main hall. The gruff owner steeped in old school wrestling history. And me, trying my best to understand what my role was this time.

 

How do you make something old; new? More importantly, how do you do that and grow and succeed? How do you present something impossibly, yet unashamedly stuck in the past as urgent. And necessary. Wrestling fans were smart and they knew the deal. Give them what they want, even if they’re not sure what that is until you do it. The whole New York City Wrestling gig was more straight-forward before the impossible rise of United States Pro Wrestling. A kid-friendly promotion of big names and big personalities. They had hoovered up all the talent we’d normally utilise and offered a higher resolution version of it. Then there was still the original big two; SWF and TCW. They had cornered the market in Sports Entertainment and Technical showcases. There were plenty of lucha libre companies, while PSW did hardcore and CZCW did fast-paced, high-flying action.

 

In a world where everyone was bigger, more polished and had every element of professional wrestling covered; what was the point of New York City Wrestling? That’s a question I needed to answer in order to become successful.

 

Larry Vessey entered with the swagger of a man who was absolutely sure, in his soul, that there was nothing scarier than him in the entire city. He had a small notepad with a few words scribbled on the front and a loose spider diagram.

 

“No time for pleasantries kid. We’ve got work to do.”

 

He flashed the pad at me, and the centre of the diagram read ‘Confederate or Die.’

 

Who doesn’t love the drama?

 

It seemed before we figured out what we were, we were going to secure our long-term status by way of the alliance.

 

Confederation of the Territories Headquarters. Mid-Atlantic Region.

 

Rich mahogany furniture, an enormous shiny, wooden table and around it a group of middle-aged men smoking cigars and telling stories of the golden age. If you removed the mobile phones from the scene, it could’ve come straight from the 1980s.

 

Larry had wanted me to meet his fellow owners and understand the way things were run away from the bright lights of the big boys. Sam Keith, legendary wrestler-turned-owner was chair of the meeting. Along with the impresario of Mid-Atlantic Wrestling, we also had Gil Thomas owner of IPW, looking pale and sweaty. Cliff Anderson, owner of CZCW with a broad smile on his face. And the legendary Phoenix I, wearing his orange mask as the owner and representative of OLLIE. These companies along with NYCW are the Founding Five. The original members of this insane, yet relatively successful alliance of territorial promotions. Keith ran down the orders for the meeting.

 

Today was the day the Confederation inducted two new promotions to the ranks. Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling out of Pennsylvania and FREEDOM Caribbean Wrestling from Puerto Rico. Their owners; Mitch Naess; legend of former indy darling DAVE and the impossibly large Puerto Rican Power sat around the table in tailored suits, completely at odds with the casual gym attire of Larry.

 

The meeting was professional and cordial, but the old regional mentalities can’t be easily shaken. The Founding Five all agreed, unanimously to the inclusion of the new blood. What followed was a brief introduction to the group for me. Silence fell on the room like a hammer made of feathers. The kind of silence where people coughed, looked around and then smiled vacantly. I took my opportunity and suggested that with more members, perhaps we should introduce a new title. A mid-range one, which wouldn’t take away from the prestige of the World Title. My suggestion was met with another awkward silence. This one was punctured by Sam Keith who said they’d take it under advisement and then glared at Larry. The old man, to his credit, ignored the obvious visual communication. The conversation moved on to Gil Thomas, owner of IPW who was furious with Grimm SoCal Wrestling and was going to start a small-scale media war against his rival. The board murmured in agreement instantly, clearly with zero interest in the rapper-turned promoter Brother Grimm.

 

The final contribution came from Larry himself. He suggested greater use of the loan system, combined with a new unwritten rule about poaching. The group murmured and a mere half an hour later had rejected the suggestion. Larry, never one to be ignored, informed them that even if it hadn’t passed, he had no intention of signing any of their workers outside of loan deals, and he hoped they’d do the same. It was, the honourable way to behave.

 

So that’s how we were going to do things.

 

Edited August 30, 2022 by TCP1

[TCP1]

This is a Cornellverse dynasty, inspired by the original dynasty by BriFidelity all those years ago and by the irrepressible InfinityWPI’s Welcome to the Zone series. Finally Historian’s incredible No Ordinary Man. Seems wrong not to mention them all.

 

Anyone whose followed my diaries before knows the usual approach; import the best workers from the independent scene. Bury the original roster to make new stars, switch to a modern style and then systematically destroy the Confederation of the Territories.

 

This time however, will be different.

 

First things first; the Confederation of the Territories. I was going to make it my mission to help the COTT flourish. As part of that, I wouldn’t be stealing workers who already performed for any of the companies in the confederation. Only loans and trades for one-off matches. On top of that, I would try and avoid moving all the titles onto my performers to the detriment of the other territories. Would it work? Who knows, but it’s there for a reason and variety is the spice of life.

 

Secondly, I planned on running multiple matches with young unemployed wrestlers as pre-show events. This would be a way to give them experience, training and character work without exposing, (or over-exposing) them on the main shows. This means in theory I could have some of my best in-ring talent appearing on the pre-show rather than the main roster. Speaking of which…

 

New York City Wrestling

 

Singles Roster:

Andrew Harper (Heel)

Animal Harker (Face)

Brutus Milano (Face)

Crockett Tubbs (Face)

Denny King (Heel)

Geoff Borne (Face)

Machine Gun Marino (Heel)

Masked Stranger (Face)

Ray Snow (Heel)

Richie Riggins (Heel)

Riley McManus (Face)

Sal DiMeo (Heel)

Super Massive Destroyer (Heel)

Tennessee William (Heel)

The New York Doll (Heel)

 

Tag Teams:

Brooklyn’s Finest – Hawkeye Calhoun and Freedom Eagle (Face)

The Boys from the Yukon – Whitehorse Whittaker and Howlin Mad Mort (Heel)

The Casey Brothers – Tully Casey and Chuck Casey (Face)

The Italian Americans – Vito Pirelli and Luca Sacramoni (Heel)

The LA Stars – LA Star #1 and LA Star #2 (Face)

 

Other Talent:

Larry Vessey (Owner and Road Agent)

Steve Flash (Road Agent and former Head Booker)

Michael Bull (Head Referee)

Arnie Plumber (Referee)

Ernie Turner (Colour Commentator)

Fern Hathaway (Valet)

Cheerleader Nicki (Valet)

 

Stables:

The DiMeo Family (Sal DiMeo, Luca Sacramoni, Vito Pirelli and Machine Gun Marino)

 

Titles:

NYCW Tag Team: The Boys from the Yukon (27 prestige)

NYCW Tri-State Regional: Masked Stranger (23 prestige)

NYCW King of New York: Steve Flash (33 prestige)

NYCW Empire: Brutus Milano (29 prestige)

 

Confederation of the Territories Titles:

COTT World Heavyweight Title: Pablo Rodriguez (CZCW) (41 Prestige)

COTT World Tag Titles: The American Cobras (Marvel Malloy & Storm Spillane) (CZCW) (34 Prestige)

[TCP1]

New York City… Home of the brave and land of the free…

 

Choosing to be the living embodiment of new broom sweeps clean, I looked at the roster of youngsters I’d signed to pre-show contracts. And then I panicked. It was a fair bit of money to be spending on workers who weren’t actively helping my initial growth.

 

One-by-one I introduced myself to the boys (and girls) and then set about the New Year’s cleaning. I fired:

Ron South & Rock Downpour – Me and Ernie would work the show microphones.

Devastating Don – Bad wrestler, no momentum and a bad backstage presence.

 

The only other small change I’d make was moving Super Massive Destroyer and Machine Gun Marino to the pre-show to allow them to experience wrestling with anyone else not on the main show. I doubted I’d miss them in the short term. And Larry set me my goals.

 

Goals

NYCW must improve on 17th

NYCW must gain popularity

No Technician Flyer

No Daredevil

No Brawler

 

No f*k!ng brawlers. It’s not like that was some weird and wonderful brand of wrestlers. He was effectively telling me; don’t hire any standard US wrestlers. Utter nonsense. If nothing else that would further limit new signings and roster churn. So he really was intent on me creating magic from the scrub-tacular group I had.

 

With the new-look logo in place, I then set about sorting the tired and predictable schedule. Everyone else was running a show a month, I was looking to build to 5 big shows a year:

 

Rush Hour – January

The King of New York – April

Summer Smash – June

Gang Wars – September

Cage Clash – December

 

In between these I would come up with some more themed regular shows as I toyed with any methods I could to get fans in and not bankrupt the company.

 

***

 

Building towards our first show, I began going through the current storylines playing out. Most appeared to be heading to a conclusion, which meant I could play around soon, but they also gave me enough of a structure to launch the first few shows of the new era.

 

On the evening of the Rush Hour, I tried to take my mind off the stress of it all by reading through the Dirt Sheets. I noticed that Miller Fforde had claimed the Rip Chord Invitational in MAW, which made sense. Tommy Cornell, arguably the biggest name in the universe of professional wrestling had broken his leg in a match with his brother Edward and was out for six months. He wasn’t alone in injury as Sean McFly from CWA had a badly herniated disc and was out for a year. Then I saw a small article with headline ‘Boastful Brutus’ – Apparently our top champion and face of the company has claimed to be the biggest star in NYCW and should be given the chance to carry the company. Hmmm.

 

On the opposite side of the locker room I saw Hawkeye Calhoun telling road stories to the younger guys. While New York Doll (always a bit of friendly trouble) was being sentenced by wrestler’s court for making a mess. Larry banged his toy gavel and told him to buy drinks after the show. Doll laughed in response.

 

The crowd started to enter. A mix of ages and genders. I tried to memorise as many faces as I could. It was always useful to know if we had any hardcore fans who turned up to all the shows. The pre-show youngsters looked nervous, so I gave a short speech to calm them down and then I noticed something… Denny King and Fern Hathaway looked very… cosy.

 

And with that, it was time for the first show proper…

 

NYCW Rush Hour 2020

Saturday, Week 4, January, 2020

Weston Gymnasium, New York City, New York

Attendance: 300 (SOLD OUT!?!)

 

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Casey vs. Richie Riggins

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, Richie Riggins defeated Chuck Casey in 8:05 by pinfall with a Body Bag.

Rating: 26

And lo, the new era begins. Something of a hoss fight here between two guys with no storyline. I liked the upside of Chuck, but Richie is an established midcard guy and along with Cheerleader Nikki we need to keep him relatively sturdy for more important matches. I’ve effectively broken up The Casey Brothers for the time being, so that Tully can help with the younger performers.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The LA Stars vs. The Boys from the Yukon ©

In a decent match, The Boys From The Yukon defeated The LA Stars in 9:52 when Howlin' Mad Mort pinned LA Star #1 with a Tiiiiiiiiiiimber. The Boys From The Yukon make defence number one of the NYCW Tag Team titles.

Rating: 31

Not up for switching all titles straight away. The tag division is going to be something that I invest a lot in going forward in hopes that the titles might even become as prestigious as the Empire Title. Boys from the Yukon are a solid, if unspectacular team of big lads. The former champs would get another shot down the line, but not just yet.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Crockett Tubbs vs. The New York Doll

In a decent match, Crockett Tubbs defeated The New York Doll in 9:50 by submission with a Subway STF.

Rating: 33

Two solid in-ring hands with little in the way of character. Crockett’s momentum was in the toilet, so he gets the win here in an unsurprisingly proficient match thanks to their chemistry. Perfectly Acceptable Wrestling.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Denny King vs. Masked Stranger ©

In a decent match, Denny King defeated Masked Stranger in 9:41 by pinfall by using brass knuckles and the ropes for leverage. Denny King wins the NYCW Tri-State Regional title.

Rating: 31

Gotta have some change on your first show. Stranger is a great performer, but his story with King was nearing a conclusion and I like to keep the titles on heels for the sake of ‘the chase.’ Now obviously this relies on having someone worthy to do the chasing. But that was step two. Title change as step one was complete.

 

ANGLE: Sal DiMeo is out with his family (Luca and Vito) and a microphone.

“Well, well, well, what we got here? A bunch of pencil-necked, New York phonys! Look at you all, sitting there in your fat boy clothes watching real men fight one another. It’s pathetic! Not as pathetic as the masked freaks who call themselves Brooklyn’s Finest, like their some kind of award-winning pastrami. Well, me and the boys are gonna make their lives a living Hell, because nobody messes with the Family!”

Rating: 34

Was a thick Italian-American accent with undertones of mafiosa lifestyle a little xenophobic in 2020? Possibly. But hey this is wrestling, not the opera. Plus an effective heel believes the lie his telling. Now, having actually met Sweet Sal, I’m not actually sure it’s an act. But regardless, he can generate some low-level heat with his words, so I’d let him. All three at least look the part, which is half the battle.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Geoff Borne & Brooklyn’s Finest vs. The DiMeo Family

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The DiMeo Family (Sal DiMeo, Vito Pirelli and Luca Sacramoni) defeated Geoff Borne and Brooklyn's Finest in 10:03 when Vito Pirelli pinned Freedom Eagle, illegally using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 31

Yes, I know having multiple screwy finishes wasn’t ideal. But they are supposed to be cheaters. I had asked for Borne to take the fall in this one, but presumably they called an audible in the ring. I trusted Brooklyn’s Finest both as a team and individuals so it was fine. The DiMeo Family needed a boost to bring them into the same level as their opponents. So the story continues.

 

SINGLES MATCH: ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus vs. Andrew Harper

In a decent match, Andrew Harper defeated Riley McManus in 21:40 by pinfall with a Spike Slam.

Rating: 33

I’d heard the nickname The Georgia Bulldog somewhere and I liked it. McManus might just be the best all-round, in-ring talent we have. But there was something alluring about Andrew Harper. Was it that he’s a hoss? Maybe. Was it that he put people through tables? Quite possibly. These two have been tearing it up for months and I have no reason to stop that for the time being. Plus we have limited upper-midcard heels, so it made sense to keep Harper strong.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William is out in his fake Elvis gear, and carrying a guitar which I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know how to play. He’s here to speak before the main event.

“Alright, alright, alright. It’s me, it’s me, it’s your boy Tennessee. Back in the big city. Ready to reclaim the big gold belty. With my eyes to the future intentionally, without any sentimentality I will rule with authenticity, this place called New York City.”

Rating: 63

Well that was weird. But the crowd love to boo this guy and have for years, so I’m still happy for him to go off-script. Even if that turns into a weird, medieval-style poem

 

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Brutus Milano ©

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Brutus Milano defeated Tennessee William in 9:46 by submission with an Italian Backbreaker. Brutus Milano makes defence number two of the NYCW Empire title.

Rating: 45

Larry loved Brutus. And because I planned on hiring some brawlers down the line, I wanted to keep the old man sweet. Plus there was something about someone who was obviously geared to appeal to a certain ethnic audience unique to New York City. Sure Brutus wasn’t the best in-ring worker, but he was over. There was no denying that. I guess what I’m saying is, I can see the appeal of a muscle-bound Italian-American who can make people submit with a backbreaker into a stretch. I wondered what his ceiling was in the company though. Could we redefine the entire main event to suit his limited skillset? It was an interesting thought-experiment at best.

 

OVERALL RATING: 44

 

A good show to kick things off I think. We’d have bumps along the way, but for this night; everything went about as well as I could’ve hoped. Backstage I was met was some faces I wasn’t expecting. It seemed Larry had invited some old friends of his from wrestling’s recent past. A group of guys famous from long-defunct promotions. Chris Caulfield, The Nation of Filth, the towering McWade Brothers to name the most noticeable.

 

“New kid,” he called over the shoulder of the behemoth-sized Java. “I want you to meet the old crew.”

 

“The soon-to-be retired crew,” called out Tribal Warrior and the group laughed.

 

Spending an evening with all these old could-have-beens and almost-weres. They knew how to spin yarns and drink beers. Even the younger guys got involved and we had something of an impromptu party. A few of them were sniffing around for one last pay day, which I gently ignored. Most though just look happy to be backstage again for the first time in a long time.

 

For the first time, I sort of understood why Larry was so enamoured with old school wrestling.

 

Next time on New York City Wrestling… We expand to two shows, and Brooklyn’s Finest go off-script again…

[Theheel]

TCP

 

I come back to the boards and find one of my favorite writers on NYCW. Have enjoyed your others in the past and looking forward to this.

[redwulf25]

Next time on New York City Wrestling… We expand to two shows, and Brooklyn’s Finest go off-script again…

 

Did the game say why they've been going off script? I haven't been playing this version of it very long but the only time I've seen a match go off script it was because the champion who was supposed to retain had an injury that lead to the woman who injured her getting the pin and taking the belt.

[TCP1]

TCP

 

I come back to the boards and find one of my favorite writers on NYCW. Have enjoyed your others in the past and looking forward to this.

 

I hope not to let you down. It's a bit different this time around for sure.

 

Did the game say why they've been going off script? I haven't been playing this version of it very long but the only time I've seen a match go off script it was because the champion who was supposed to retain had an injury that lead to the woman who injured her getting the pin and taking the belt.

 

It *may* be a narrative explanation for my clumsy booking finger. I haven't ever actually seen an 'in-game' off script moment. Didn't even know it could happen.

[TCP1]

New York City Wrestling… Where booking is merely a suggestion…

 

We’d made $10,249 profit off our first show, which was great news. Nothing made Larry as happy as some money in his pocket. February gave us the opportunity to expand and get around a bit. The buzz created by my surprise appointment, combined with a solid show had increased our popularity in NYC and surrounding areas.

 

On the night of our second show, Larry received a call from Sam Keith inviting us both to an emergency meeting of the Confederation of the Territories the following night. He’d apparently sounded both stressed and a bit bored by whatever the reason was. But we agreed we’d get a flight the moment the show ended. Tennessee and Cheerleader Nicki arrived together too, which effectively solidified the ‘they’re dating’ rumour. How cute.

 

NYCW New York City Slam

Sunday, Week 2, February 2020

Weston Gymnasium, New York City, New York

Attendance: 300 (SOLD OUT!?!)

 

SINGLES MATCH: Geoff Borne vs. Richie Riggins

In a decent match, Geoff Borne defeated Richie Riggins in 10:21 by pinfall with a Borne Again.

Rating: 31

Despite Geoff avoiding taking the pin previously, we still went ahead with our short term plan to heat him up a little bit. Richie could afford the loss as both men were in a holding pattern for now. Despite Borne’s lack of charisma, or character, he was a solid hand in the ring and he actually made Richie look great in defeat.

 

TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Crockett Tubbs vs. The New York Doll vs. Chuck Casey

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Crockett Tubbs defeated The New York Doll and Chuck Casey in 7:41 when Crockett Tubbs submitted The New York Doll with a Subway STF.

Rating: 33

If ever there was a match which screamed ‘give three guys something to do’ it had to be this one. Crockett, like Borne, is a charismaless workhorse. But he’d been on the receiving end of some losses and we needed to remind our fans that he was a threat, so when he did lose, it meant more. Doll is always good for a loss and Chuck is still learning to be a singles performer.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The LA Stars vs. The Boys from the Yukon ©

In a decent match, The Boys From The Yukon defeated The LA Stars in 10:14 when Whitehorse Whittaker pinned LA Star #1 with a Tiiiiiiiiiiimber. The Boys From The Yukon make defence number two of the NYCW Tag Team titles.

Rating: 33

Big step-up in quality of match-up here as we burn through this mini-feud in double-quick time. The LA Stars are a fascinating duo. Seemingly unknowns, but with some real talent in their veins. Our Hoss team gets the win, but the Stars come out of it looking great. I’d have to consider them for a legitimate title shot in the near future.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Animal Harker vs. Sal DiMeo

In a decent match, Animal Harker defeated Sal DiMeo in 10:14 by pinfall with a Stump Piledriver.

Rating: 35

Animal, missing from the last show because of his Japanese commitments, returned with a big win against Sweet Sal. Animal is someone I would’ve considered for a big push if I could rely on him to actually be at every show. But I can’t, so I’d keep him floating in the upper-midcard ready to make stars out of our heels.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Brooklyn’s Finest vs. The Italian Americans

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Brooklyn's Finest defeated The Italian Americans in 9:37 when Freedom Eagle pinned Vito Pirelli with a Freedom Slam.

Rating: 31

Freedom vs. Family feud continues with Brooklyn’s Finest getting some revenge over their opponents. Vito looks to be the better of the two Italian-Americans, but for now both were good as back-up muscle for Sal. It did feel like their was something missing from the DiMeo Family though? Perhaps a big star who could be pushed into the main event proper. Brutus was the obvious answer, but we were gearing him up as a sustained face main eventer. We hoped the Universe would answer our prayers.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Denny King ©

In a decent match, Denny King defeated Masked Stranger in 21:41 by pinfall with a Superplex. Denny King makes defence number one of the NYCW Tri-State Regional title.

Rating: 33

Stranger cashes in his rematch clause and King pins him clean as a whistle to blow off their feud and establish himself as the champion proper. Good little match between these two.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William is out with a microphone and Andrew Harper in tow:

“New York City sweathogs! It’s me, it’s me, it’s Tennessee. Tonight I have invited your hero, the Pastrami-sucking nobody Brutus Milano into a pick your partner tag team match. I have of course gone for the most vicious, brutal fiend this company has to offer. The Master of Tables himself, Mr. Andrew Harper. Together we make the most feared tag team in wrestling history. So really, whoever you’ve picked as your ‘buddy’ is going to get destroyed by us.”

Rating: 66

Sticking to the script worked out better than before.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Brutus Milano & ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus vs. Tennessee William & Andrew Harper

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Tennessee William and Andrew Harper defeated Brutus Milano and Riley McManus in 10:02 when Andrew Harper pinned Brutus Milano with a Spike Slam.

Rating: 45

Big pin for Harper there on the champ. Tennessee remains our top challenger, but always good to have someone who can step in and face Brutus. Harper’s talents are limited, but then so are our champions and that hasn’t stopped us keeping the biggest prize on him. So who knows. I must remember to never team Riley and Brutus again, they were terrible. Tennessee and Harper however, they had a natural chemistry.

 

OVERALL RATING: 45

 

A step-up is a step-up. And this was a step-up in quality.

 

As promised, Larry and I boarded the plane and flew straight to Charlotte, North Carolina. I watched the latest match between Remo and Rocky Golden which resulted in the former winning the SWF World Heavyweight Title. Hell of a match in front of a sold out audience. We’d never be able to reach that level.

 

Confederation of the Territories Headquarters. Charlotte, North Carolina.

 

We arrived late to the meeting. The room was alive with arguing voices. It stopped when we entered and all the other owners took a simultaneous breath as the rage dissipated slightly.

 

“What is going on?” Larry asked sternly.

 

“Have a seat,” Sam Keith said. Once we had both taken him up on his offer, he continued. “The Confederation is debating a title change.”

 

“Tag team?” Larry replied and Sam shook his head.

 

Everything made sense. Changing the COTT World Heavyweight Title is not something done lightly and always, without question, resulted in an argument. Every owner was very protective of their top guys. To win the title was a great honour and losing it… well no one likes to lose.

 

“Ok,” Larry said with a deep breath. “What’s the problem?”

 

“We want to shift the belt onto someone new. A talented, young all-rounder. A potential star with quality…” Mitch Naess (owner of PSW) said.

 

“Save me the sales pitch and tell me the problem,” Larry interrupted.

 

“I’m not comfortable,” said Cliff Anderson (owner of CZCW). “With our champion and one of our top draws, losing on our show to a relative newcomer.”

 

Larry scratched his stubble and looked to Naess.

 

“Their show is next, we don’t want to wait,” Naess said. “You’ve seen their product. It’s dangerous and if there’s an injury it’ll devalue the changeover.”

 

“Dangerous?” Cliff replied, arching his eyebrow. “Tell me Naess, had any death matches recently.”

 

“At least our guys aren’t throwing themselves off of the rafters in an attempt to get over!”

 

“Enough!” Keith replied. “So, you see, we have a problem. Everyone is agreed to the change, which is a Godsend in and of itself. But we’re stuck with the schedule.”

 

“That’s easy,” I said. “We’ve got a show in a couple of days. We’ll loan both guys, put on the match on neutral territory. That gets it done in the quickest and no one can blame our product for being dangerous.”

 

Larry stared at me. He knew as well as I did that we didn’t have a show in a couple of days. He also, clearly wasn’t happy about paying for workers we didn’t need, to put on a match for a potential rival promoter. He was right to be unhappy. But I hadn’t finished.

 

“And you can benefit from the gates,” Naess said.

 

“We’ll give you 25% of the gate,” I said.

 

He clearly hadn’t expected that response at all. For the first time since we entered, there was silence. Silence in situations like this means people were thinking. If they were thinking, they were close to agreeing.

 

“As long as our guy doesn’t get injured, it works for me,” said Cliff.

 

“Fair enough,” said Naess.

 

Gil Thomas, owner of Invincible Pro Wrestling coughed harshly.

 

“What do you want to get out of this Larry?” Sam Keith added. “I don’t know anyone who offers to help like that, without getting something in return. Especially not a company run by Larry Vessey.”

 

“I’m sure we could think of something,” Larry added with a smile.

 

“We want to be involved,” said the massive Puerto Rican Power, speaking for the first time. “They get a champion, we get a champion.”

 

All eyes turned to the big man. And Sam Keith, ever the diplomat said “sure.”

 

Next time... Night of Champions...

[TCP1]

New York City… Home of all the Gold…

 

NYCW Night of Champions

Sunday, Week 3, February 2020

Weston Gymnasium, New York City, New York

Attendance: 300 (SOLD OUT!?!)

 

COTT WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Freedom Force vs. The American Cobras ©

In a bout that had decent wrestling but didn't have much heat, Freedom Force defeated The American Cobras in 9:54 when Kip Keenan pinned Marvel Malloy with a Belly To Belly Suplex. Freedom Force win the COTT World Tag Team titles.

Rating: 32

What Puerto Rican Power wants, he gets. Plus Marvel Malloy looks like he’s leaving CZCW soon, so we needed to get the belts off the Cobras.

 

TRIPLE THREAT MATCH: Geoff Borne vs. Ray Snow vs. Tully Casey

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Geoff Borne defeated Ray Snow and Tully Casey in 9:51 when Geoff Borne pinned Ray Snow with a Borne Again.

Rating: 29

Operation: Heat Up Borne continues at pace. We wanted to get Tully and Ray onto a main show as thanks for their work with the rookies. And as thanks, we had them lose comfortably. I can see how easy it must be to cause a rift with talent.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. The Italian Americans

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The LA Stars defeated The Italian Americans in 9:57 when LA Star #2 pinned Vito Pirelli with a Star Destroyer.

Rating: 25

After two losses to the champs, it was time for the LA Stars to get back to winning ways. It’s also good to test out how teams fair against one another. This was a little disappointing, but that was mainly because of the Italian-Americans. More work required for both teams.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Crockett Tubbs vs. Richie Riggins

In a decent match, Crockett Tubbs defeated Richie Riggins in 7:48 by submission with a Subway STF.

Rating: 32

#Crockett2theMoon

But seriously, another singles match to keep turning around his flailing momentum. Once he got to neutral we’d job him out to a main contender.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Brooklyn’s Finest vs. The Boys from the Yukon ©

In a decent match, Brooklyn's Finest defeated The Boys From The Yukon in 10:16 when Hawkeye Calhoun pinned Howlin' Mad Mort after using a foreign object. Brooklyn's Finest win the NYCW Tag Team titles.

Rating: 37

What!?!

I told them to win by disqualification. Not by pinfall! Turns out Brooklyn’s Finest called an audible and the Boys from the Yukon just went with it. What on Earth was going on. This was not the plan. Not the plan at all!!! I went to confront the Finest backstage, but my complaints were drowned out by the cheers of the locker room. Damn it!

 

SINGLES MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Sal DiMeo

In a decent match, Masked Stranger defeated Sal DiMeo in 10:08 by submission with a Cobra Clutch.

Rating: 33

The Masked Stranger rebuild begins at the expense of Sweet Sal. Was this because he’d come to me asking for a pay rise after a single victory? I’m not saying that’s true. But I’m not not saying it. Decent match between these two though.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William cuts a promo explaining that along with Andrew Harper, he’s now recruited the newest champion in NYCW; Denny King. He’s never felt more confident of victory in his life, regardless of who his opponents have roped into a beating of a lifetime.

Rating: 70

He’s getting more confident the more time we give him and is a consistent heat-generator now.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Brutus Milano, Riley McManus & Animal Harker vs. Tennessee William, Andrew Harper & Denny King

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Brutus Milano, Riley McManus and Animal Harker defeated Denny King, Andrew Harper and Tennessee William in 9:44 when Riley McManus pinned Denny King with a Slingshot Suplex.

Rating: 43

A little nod to old fans of ours having Tennessee William’s former partner Animal Harker as the mystery opponent. The fact that he had the upper-hand on the top challenger throughout was great too.

 

COTT WORLD TITLE MATCH: Ernest Youngman vs. Pablo Rodriguez ©

In an exceptional match, Ernest Youngman defeated Pablo Rodriguez in 22:25 by pinfall with The Hit. Ernest Youngman wins the COTT World Heavyweight title.

Rating: 56

Woah! Both these guys are way better than anyone else on our roster. This was a masterful indy wrestling classic from a veteran and future big-time star. Pablo, despite being the flavour of the month takes the clean loss to the 2nd City Saint, The Assassin and apparently the man of a million nicknames. It’s a shame we’d agreed not to hire workers from other companies in the COTT, because Ernest is an absolute stud.

 

OVERALL RATING: 54

 

The show was a roaring success. We even had Mitch Naess, Cliff Anderson, Sam Keith and backstage to watch along with the other owners. Switching the title was a big deal for the COTT and this showed it. We’d helped our brothers out. And now, well now it was time to call in the favours.

 

As the loanees and our boys mingled, I was called into a meeting with Larry and Michael ‘No Bull’ Bull. He was holding a manilla envelope. He handed it to me and I opened it. It was an exclusive written contract with TCW. Our first poaching had occurred.

 

Next time… A very special show…

[ReapeR]

Definitely watching this.

 

R

[eayragt]

I can appreciate a little misbooking. Welcome back.

[Theheel]

Great show, you’ve once again hooked me into the NYCW scene

[TCP1]

New York City… Where wrestling promoters are forced to pay their debts…

 

WrestleWorld, the streaming service for independent wrestling had finally launched and Larry was the first in the queue to sign-up. Apparently the meeting had gone well, but they had insisted on increasing our production values. The problem with production values, is they’re expensive, but needs must. The ability to increase popularity nationwide was far too important to ignore. Ever the negotiator, Larry had convinced the streaming platform to send 55% of profit back to us, which would help cover the increase in monthly expenses. A number of the Confederation territories had signed up too, so it increased our joint ability to promote the Confederation and our champions.

 

Larry called a meeting for all staff and wrestlers to announce the deal and to begin preparation for our next show. I was reading about the bullying scandal engulfing TCW and the ratings plunge of SWF. Life was pretty good as the head booker of an independent wrestling company. I thought back to the words my father taught me; you’re either on the way up, or you’re on the way down.

 

Once everyone had gathered, Larry told them the news about WrestleWorld to much excitement from the boys. The chance to perform for thousands more people at home was a big deal for the most of them. Anything to climb the ranks and hopefully, one day, get the big call-up from the big boys. Then I heard the main door open and in walked a number of the veterans from the first show. ‘Hardcore Legend’ Chris Caulfield, the Polynesian powerhouses Java and Tribal Warrior, The green-haired punks The Nation of Filth, the Australian Cowboy Harry Allen and the huge identical twin McWade Brothers. I had not expected their arrival. Larry welcomed them and explained that they were all considering retirement soon and wanted one last pay day. One opportunity to show what they can do before the end. They also wanted to make sure the next generation were given what was left of the rub they had to give. The boys were excited by the opportunity to work with legends from their childhoods. There were two new faces in the crowd too. New referees Michael White and Francis Long had joined the company. Signing two refs to replace one was to avoid the need to do it again in case anyone came for Arnie Plummer.

 

I watched the meet and great with interest and it reminded me, everyone needed entrance music now. Can’t be on TV without entrance music.

 

Brutus Milano – Saturdays (Mitch Murder)

Tennessee William – Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley)

Riley McManus – Glory (Georgia Bulldogs Fight Song)

Andrew Harper – Mean Man (Wasp)

Brooklyn’s Finest – Hell Patrol (Judas Priest)

The Boys from the Yukon – Metal Movie Marijuana Massacre Meltdown (Acid Watch)

The LA Stars – Los Angeles (Blink 182)

The DiMEo Family – The Godfather Theme

Denny King – Surprise! You’re Dead (Faith No More)

Masked Stranger – Into the Cave (Acid Witch)

Animal Harker – X Japan (X)

Richie Riggins – Lady of Darkest Night (Lee Aaron)

Crockett Tubbs – Wishing Well (Blackfoot)

Geoff Borne – Sonic Reducer (Dead Boys)

Ray Snow – Karate (Baby Metal)

The Casey Brothers – Born in the USA (Bruce Springsteen)

The New York Doll – Hey Ho! Let’s Go (The Ramones)

 

With that sorted, we had to book our very own Legends of Wrestling show. After a brief chat with Larry, I discovered that it was being subsidised by the COTT as part of our thank you for hosting the World Title match. We basically therefore had a half-price show with a number of higher-profile wrestlers than normal, which should even out the loss of gate receipts from the last show.

 

Say what you will about Larry, but that man knows his penny-pinching way around the wrestling business. I asked each of the boys to list they most wanted to face in order and from there the card wrote itself. Thus it was time to send a number of wrestlers off into the sunset.

 

NYCW Legends of Wrestling

Friday, Week 2, March 2020

Rochester Hall, New York City, New York

Attendance: 424

 

10-MAN BATTLE ROYAL: In a decent match, Richie Riggins won a battle royal in 10:10. The other members of the 'final four' were Masked Stranger, Animal Harker and Sal DiMeo, with Masked Stranger being the final elimination. Richie Riggins got the most eliminations over the course of the match.

Rating: 39

Big Richie Riggins, The Body to his friends, who currently had little to do gets a nice big win in a match primarily designed to get everyone a pay day even if they weren’t facing off against the legends.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Crockett Tubbs vs. Denny King ©

In a decent match, Denny King defeated Crockett Tubbs in 9:39 by pinfall with a Superplex. Denny King makes defence number two of the NYCW Tri-State Regional title.

Rating: 40

Fantastic match as Denny continues to prove his worth as Tri-State Regional Champion. Our work with Crockett obviously has been paying off too.

 

SINGLES MATCH: ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus vs. Tribal Warrior

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Riley McManus defeated Tribal Warrior in 9:39 by pinfall with a Slingshot Suplex.

Rating: 42

Another great match between two solid workers. Tribal Warrior could still go in the ring and actually looked good too. So good, I wondered why he was retiring in truth. I told Riley to carry the powerhouse to the best match possible, but really I needn’t have bothered. Tribal Warrior upheld his end of the bargain and even took the finisher without a wobble.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Nation of Filth vs. Brooklyn’s Finest ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Brooklyn's Finest defeated The Nation Of Filth in 5:59 when Freedom Eagle pinned Grunt with a Freedom Slam. Brooklyn's Finest make defence number one of the NYCW Tag Team titles.

Rating: 32

Well this went horribly wrong. The Nation of Filth had zero stamina and were blown up after three minutes of action. And Grunt even managed to botch a suplex resulting in Hawkeye Calhoun straining his wrist. This is what you get for trying to leech some rub off semi-retired legends.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Harry Allen vs. Andrew Harper

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Andrew Harper defeated Harry Allen in 9:59 by pinfall with a Spike Slam.

Rating: 40

Yet another great showing from a veteran here. One which resulted in him getting a ‘you’ve still got it’ chant from the NYCW faithful. It was a shame he was heading off into the sunset actually, because we could definitely use someone like Harry Allen on our show regularly.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The McWade Brothers vs. The Boys from the Yukon

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, The Boys From The Yukon defeated The McWade Brothers in 9:47 when Howlin' Mad Mort pinned Dean McWade with a Tiiiiiiiiiiimber.

Rating: 40

Hoss Fight! We’ve got a Hoss Fight. Two of the biggest tag teams in wrestling square off against one another and the results are slow, but awesome. These two bet lumps out of each other for ten minutes straight and the crowd (and me) ate it up. This was a deserving title match which didn’t happen because of some miscommunication.

 

ANGLE: Brutus Milano came out with a microphone and the Empire Title over his shoulder. He wanted to thank all the legends for what they’d done over the years and explained that growing up, he’d always been a fan of his opponent and was excited to actually get the chance to get in the ring with him.

Rating: 66

A nice show of respect from the face of our company.

 

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE MATCH: Java vs. Brutus Milano ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Brutus Milano defeated Java in 21:38 by submission with an Italian Backbreaker. Brutus Milano makes defence number three of the NYCW Empire title.

Rating: 32

Well, it’s certainly embarrassing that our main champion had to rely on his legendary, close-to-retirement opponent to carry him. The long match completely exposed Brutus in the ring and thank God Java was in there to walk him through the finish. Jesus Christ. I know Larry loved Brutus and I’d been happy to keep pushing him, but this was bad. Very, very bad.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Chris Caulfield vs. Tennessee William

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Chris Caulfield in 9:45 by pinfall with a Devil's Crossroad.

Rating: 53

Tennessee proving me right for putting him on last right here. Much better match-up than Brutus’ as he and Chris Caulfield beat each other up. It was an homage to a hardcore match rather than an actual hardcore match, mainly because our crowd don’t want hardcore matches, but mainly because I didn’t want any damage to come to Tennessee.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee beats on Caulfield after the match, but Brutus Milano rushes out to save the Hardcore Legend. Having chased Tennessee away, Brutus shook Caulfield’s hand and then, staggered to the back as the other legends took to the ring. The crowd cheered as they all got in the ring to celebrate together and drink beers in honour of their careers.

Rating: 65

 

OVERALL RATING: 51

 

How do we start the WrestleWorld era? With a decent show, embarrassment for our champion and 17,770 viewers. So really a mixed bag. Fortunately Tennessee delivered the big main event and send off for the Legends, so hopefully the crowd would remember that and not our Empire Title match.

 

A week later, with the legends all gone we looked to a different city in a different state. Pittsburgh, known for their tough, old school, violence-loving fans were a pretty good fit for us. We’d have to make sure that the action was a bit more hard-hitting than our normal family-friendly fluff. Larry entered backstage holding a beautiful black velvet sack with a small tag saying ‘COTT’ on it. I looked at the old man and he smiled before handing it to me.

 

“I believe you wanted this,” he said.

 

NYCW Battle of the Three Rivers

Friday, Week 3, March 2020

Dameshek Bar ‘n’ Grill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Attendance: 458

 

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Casey vs. Geoff Borne

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Geoff Borne defeated Chuck Casey in 9:55 by pinfall with a Borne Again.

Rating: 30

Well these two have great chemistry, which is nice. But neither is a household name; potentially even in their own homes. Still this set things up nicely for the crowd who were more vocal than usual.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. The Italian Americans

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, The LA Stars defeated The Italian Americans in 10:07 when LA Star #1 pinned Luca Sacramoni with a Star Destroyer following interference from Freedom Eagle.

Rating: 30

LA Stars with a decent win and we progressed the story of the Brookyln’s Finest and the DiMEo Family nicely. Clearly people in the crowd had watched the show on WrestleWorld however because they had signs about The Nation of Filth. One day those signs would be for our regular wrestlers.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Crockett Tubbs vs. Ray Snow

In a decent match, Crockett Tubbs defeated Ray Snow in 10:04 by submission with a Subway STF.

Rating: 33

#Crockett2theMoon Y’know it’s funny, I’m trying to turn around his momentum, but realistically I have nothing for him to do beyond that and no plans to rush him up the card or anything. I’m doing it more to show I can than anything else. I think this might make me a bad booker.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Boys from the Yukon vs. Brooklyn’s Finest ©

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Brooklyn's Finest defeated The Boys From The Yukon in 10:13 when Hawkeye Calhoun pinned Howlin' Mad Mort while using the ropes for leverage. Brooklyn's Finest make defence number two of the NYCW Tag Team titles.

Rating: 42

Hmmm, once is a mistake, twice is a trend. Why would I have the obvious faces cheating to win in this rematch? Was it because Hawkeye and Howlin’ sound similar that people are misunderstanding what I ask of them? Goddamit. It’s tough to build a tag team division when they’re out there coming up with their own finishes all the time? Hell of a matchup in fairness, so I won’t be tearing them off a strip. But come on!

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Animal Harker vs. Denny King ©

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Animal Harker drew with Denny King in 9:37 following a double count out.

Rating: 44

This was a surprisingly great match. We told Animal to go out there and bring some of the Japanese Strong Style to the good people of Pittsburgh and Denny, to his credit, brought it right back. Two guys hitting lumps out of each other is something I can get behind.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William is out with a microphone. He is disgusted! Absolutely disgusted. And he’s not just talking about the women of Pittsburgh, but that there is a major new title on the line tonight and he’s not involved. He thinks this is all part of Brutus Milano’s plan to keep him from the main event. So, to take it out on the pastrami-slurping knucklehead, he’s gone to the meanest family in the business for some support. Brutus better grab a friend and come out and face him and Sweet Sal.

Rating: 65

My word he’s charismatic.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Brutus Milano & Masked Stranger vs. Tennessee William & Sal DiMeo

In a bout that had fantastic heat and decent wrestling, Brutus Milano and Masked Stranger drew with Tennessee William and Sal DiMeo in 10:30 when the referee lost control and stopped the match.

Rating: 49

Well, this was a disappointment. Firstly Masked Stranger and Brutus looked like two human beings who’d never even seen how a tag team should behave. They missed their cues and their tags. Absolutely no chemistry. Then, Masked Stranger, having missed an obvious heat spot, ran too hard into the turnbuckle and collapsed like a wet paper bag. That is broken ribs if ever I’ve seen it.

 

COTT UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH: ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus vs. Andrew Harper

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Riley McManus defeated Andrew Harper in 22:05 by pinfall with a Slingshot Suplex. Riley McManus wins the COTT United States.

Rating: 44

That’s right. The old man did it. He got a new title established with the Confederation and he got it’s inaugural match on our show between two of our guys. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ is a workhorse performer who will do us proud in the other promotions so he gets the feel-good win of the night. We’d eventually have to pay him more because his stock was about to skyrocket, but we’d happily do it.

 

OVERALL RATING: 45

 

16,057 viewers was a step in the wrong direction. We needed to up our game now that the hardcore wrestling fans could see our product from the comfort of their home.

 

Next time… We crown a new King…

[ReapeR]

Wait, What?

 

*Starts looking through title designs*

[TCP1]

I can appreciate a little misbooking. Welcome back.

 

Thanking you kindly.

 

Great show, you’ve once again hooked me into the NYCW scene

 

Hopefully it keeps you hooked too. Like a dodgy pusher of things too unhealthy for you, but which you can't resist.

 

Wait, What?

 

*Starts looking through title designs*

 

I just use the default US title based on the WWE one sadly. My graphical skills are... sub-optimal. If only the 'Godfather of Belt Design' was lurking around the place.

[ReapeR]

Thanking you kindly.

 

 

 

Hopefully it keeps you hooked too. Like a dodgy pusher of things too unhealthy for you, but which you can't resist.

 

 

 

I just use the default US title based on the WWE one sadly. My graphical skills are... sub-optimal. If only the 'Godfather of Belt Design' was lurking around the place.

 

 

I know a guy. I'll have him get in touch with you.

[Voeltzwagon]

I had a NYCW bug I was wanting to scratch, but this covers it so I am more tempted to be distracted by other things for my own projects. Always enjoy your work and looking forward to more

[TCP1]

New York City… where we crown a King and make a main event…

 

According to Greg Sluchinski’s Pro Wrestling Reporter; TCW were still flashing cash everywhere having signed DC Rayne, Texas Pete, Clark Alexander and Akima Brave along with Michael Bull. USPW, never one to be outdone signed El Leon to bolster their appeal south of the border. Francis Long showed his loyalty to us by moving to the Tri-State area. He was a keeper. I even read a long-form article by Sluchinski’s himself about the long-time friendship between Sam Strong and Peter Valentine, which has recently and somewhat impossibly now fallen apart. I guess Valentine didn’t need Strong now that their careers were basically over.

 

Sluchinski was an interesting character; he’d created an entire living for himself as the pro wrestling insider. It was nothing more than a glorified gossip columnist really, but with the newsletter, Twitter handle and podcast he was definitely making some bank out of his love of pro wrestling. Even his website, monetised to the high-heavens looked slick and welcoming. I wondered whether there was something in it we could utilise. Obviously not know, the rare occasions we got mentioned in the Pro Wrestling Report it was as part of the COTT or to mock a current performer, or talk about a good worker ‘getting out.’ Even PSW were treated with some respect as the baptism of fire promotion young workers must survive to sharpen their iron before the big leagues. We’d show him eventually. Probably.

 

More important right now was the King of New York Title, due to be defended on the show this month. Unlike the first two years, we were replacing the Battle Royal formula with a one-day tournament of our best singles stars. The NYCW Empire champion was barred from entry because the winner not only got the title, but would go on to face the champion in the main event of Summer in the City in a couple of months. Expecting it to be easy to fill the brackets, I suddenly realised we would struggle somewhat with ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus elsewhere for the evening. So I had Larry put in a call to Mitch Naess to help us out.

 

NYCW The King of New York 2020

Saturday, Week 4, April 2020

Rochester Hall, New York City, New York

Attendance: 504

 

KONY QUARTER FINAL: Animal Harker vs. Tennessee William

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Animal Harker in 10:19 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics.

Rating: 50

The Explosion of the Southern Stars. We would continue to milk this feud years after it had actually occurred, partially because the two worked well together, but mainly because it showed our audience that we actually cared about our storylines, even years after their peak. Our best opener by quite a margin. In fact this was almost good enough to main event a show.

 

KONY QUARTER FINAL: Masked Stranger vs. Sal DiMeo

In a decent match, Masked Stranger defeated Sal DiMeo in 9:52 by submission with a Cobra Clutch.

Rating: 38

From the heights of our opener, to the more grounded second match. Masked Stranger was a good ring general of ours but Sweet Sal was still a little too midcard to be considered a threat in a tournament like this. So we had the masked man progress in a technically sound, if unspectacular matchup.

 

KONY QUARTER FINAL: LA Star #2 vs. Andrew Harper

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Andrew Harper defeated LA Star #1 in 7:34 by pinfall with a handful of tights.

Rating: 33

Andrew Harper’s growth from antagonistic midcarder, to threatener main eventer continues nicely as he gets past tag team specialist LA Star #2. Match was ok, but following the first two matches was always going to be difficult.

 

KONY QUARTER FINAL: Logan Wolfsbaine vs. LA Star #1

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Logan Wolfsbaine defeated LA Star #2 in 8:05 by submission with a Boston Crab.

Rating: 40

LA Star #1 proves himself to be a solid worker across the board in a fantastic match against PSW starlet Logan Wolfsbaine (kindly on loan for the night). Logan, like Ernest Youngman before him, appears from Pittsburgh Steel Wrestling and absolutely nails his first performance. He was certainly good enough to make me wish we could hire him full-time, which is about as high praise as I can offer.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: The New York Doll vs. Denny King ©

In a decent match, Denny King defeated Spike Sylvain in 8:19 by count out. Denny King makes defence number four of the NYCW Tri-State Regional title.

Rating: 39

I had considered putting both of these guys in the tournament, but it would’ve made the face/heel divide too heavy. So I put them into a meaningless title match. I loved NYD as much as the next guy, but he wasn’t ready for the Tri-State title yet. That isn’t to say he would never be. I really felt there was a story to tell with him, but it needed more meat on the bones. Meat that I’d try and find right now.

 

ANGLE: Denny King is in the ring mocking The New York Doll, when, out of nowhere, the masked Super Massive Destroyer hits the ring and attacks. The assault is quick and brutal, and leaves King completely destroyed. Destroyer then removes his mask and picks New York Doll up off the mat and the two head to the back.

Rating: 30

That’s right! We were rebranding Super Massive Destroyer as Eddie ‘The Beast’ Braddock and pairing him with NYD. I didn’t know if the two of them would work out long-term, but short-term they would make a decent lower-midcard tag team.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Tubbs & Borne vs. The Italian Americans

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, The Italian Americans defeated Crockett Tubbs and Geoff Borne in 7:54 when Luca Sacramoni pinned Crockett Tubbs while using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 32

Speaking of lower-midcard tag teams. Here are Tubbs & Borne taking a beating from the Italian Americans. They were fantastic in-ring performers with less than zero chemistry and thus jobbers was a great role for them. That positive momentum didn’t last long.

 

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE MATCH: Richie Riggins vs. Brutus Milano ©

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Brutus Milano defeated Richie Riggins in 9:32 by submission with an Italian Backbreaker. Brutus Milano makes defence number four of the NYCW Empire title.

Rating: 38

Clean win for the champ, but unless he’s paired with a ring general type, his match ratings flounder. And as much as I like Riggins, he is not a ring general. Still, always good to use these low-level defenses to test peoples chemistry and all I’ll say on that is; they didn’t have bad chemistry.

 

KONY SEMI FINAL MATCH: Logan Wolfsbaine vs. Andrew Harper

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Logan Wolfsbaine defeated Andrew Harper in 7:38 by count out.

Rating: 49

These two however, had great Chemistry. Another tick in the box of Logan Wolfsbaine. I’d add him to my perennial shortlist of potential signings. If PSW ever so much as hinted at him leaving, I’d be in there in a shot. Fantastic match-up between King of the Hoss’ and The Glorious One. Logan makes it all the way to the finals in his first night wrestling with us. Andrew could afford the loss.

 

KONY SEMI FINAL MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Masked Stranger

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Masked Stranger in 8:25 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics.

Rating: 50

Tennessee’s streak of awesome matches continues against midcard gatekeeper Masked Mauler. The fact Tennessee wasn’t our champion, actively hurt our company each and every week. Even the crowd, who are arguably more old school than us had started cheering Tennessee. As the reactions get louder and louder, even Larry couldn’t deny that the Elvis impersonator was our true franchise player.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Boys from the Yukon vs. Brooklyn’s Finest ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, The Boys From The Yukon defeated Brooklyn's Finest in 9:32 when Whitehorse Whittaker pinned Freedom Eagle with a Canadian Stun Gun following interference from Sal DiMeo. The Boys From The Yukon win the NYCW Tag Team titles.

Rating: 42

And everything is right with the world again.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William is out for his promo:

“Ladies, gentleman and walking sticks of pastrami. It’s me, it’s me, it’s Tennessee. And your hero and champion-in-waiting is here ready to take the penultimate step in his legacy. A legacy in NYCW which has seen me win every title this company has to offer. From the Tri-State, to carrying Animal to tag team glory, to the Empire Title itself. Once I am declared the King of New York, I will be only the second Grand Slam winner in NYCW history. This isn’t about anything, but fulfilling the goal a young Tennessee set himself. To win it all, no matter the cost. Now bring me the outsider and let’s do this.”

Rating: 69

Don’t bet against him ladies and gentlemen.

 

KING OF NEW YORK TITLE MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Logan Wolfsbaine

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Logan Wolfsbaine in 21:33 by pinfall with a Devil's Crossroad. Tennessee William wins the NYCW King Of New York.

Rating: 49

And typically, in his third match of the night, Tennessee actual delivers the lowest rated match. Still, what was important was that we were heading towards the second showdown between Milano and William of the year. In the main event of Summer in the City.

 

OVERALL RATING: 49

 

Good card all-in-all. 21,673 viewers tuned in to see Tennessee William become only the second NYCW Grand Slam winner in the company’s history. I’m sure there’d be a time in the future when we’d introduce a new title which would negate Tennessee and Steve Flash’s achievement. But for now, he’d done it.

 

Next time… Signings, injuries, deaths and the build to summer…

[TCP1]

New York City… building to a summer showdown…

 

The Pro Wrestling Reporter’s May issue was jam-packed with news. Matty Faith, son of the legendary Christian Faith had followed in the unlucky footsteps of Tommy Cornell and broken his leg, taking him out of action for six months. Professor Nero had sadly passed away and Sean McFly had signed with USPW despite his injury. And most importantly, and incredibly, there was a feature on one Tennessee William, with the headline ‘Southern Star’s Wham Bam Grand Slam.’ It highlighted the results of King of New York 2020 and then did a deep-dive into the concept of the Grand Slam, before moving onto Steve Flash and finally a profile on our number one contender.

 

I took a copy of the magazine straight to Tennessee. He was as happy as I was with the high praise and boost to his name value. Tennessee William, never one to miss an opportunity immediately asked for a pay rise to $90. I’d accept a raise at ten times the value.

 

I was feeling more spendy anyway after the last month netted us $2,779 profit and I’d decided to continue branching out to other non-NYC based venues and with two shows left until Summer in the City 2020, I wanted to test the Philadelphia market a little. Arguably more fanatical than Pittsburgh and New York combined, the fans there would let us know if we were doing things right.

 

And thus, the build to Summer in the City begins in earnest. We were still too small to realistically be running multiple storylines. So we’d hold a lot of creative decisions until we reached the next size up and for now goal was to continue to top-load shows. And with that, we entered Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

 

NYCW Fight for Philly

Friday, Week 2, May 2020

McNab Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Attendance: 525

 

SINGLES MATCH: Animal Harker vs. Sal DiMeo

In a decent match, Sal DiMeo defeated Animal Harker in 9:45 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 39

Sweet Sal gets a much-needed win against an established midcard veteran. Animal Harker’s continued occasional disappearance to Japan made him difficult to book in long-term feuds. Which was a shame, because he’s one of the more talented performers we have. Perhaps when we were bigger and more impressive we could convince him to choose us over PGHW.

 

ANGLE: The New York Doll is out with The Beast in tow and he has a microphone.

“New York City (rabid boos from the crowd – NYD looks around confused) Oh no wait, we’re in… Philadelphia. Grim. I’m sure you’re all used to seeing your favourite stars come out here, bleed a bit, shorten their careers and then go home with their $20 pay day. I’m afraid you won’t be seeing any of that tonight. They used to call me The New York Doll, named after the greatest city in the world (more boos), but my actual name is Spike Sylvain. This here is Big Eddie Braddock AKA The Beast. And we’re here to bring some much-needed professional wrestling to this two-bit bingo hall in the midst of Hell. You’re welcome.

Rating: 39

Actually a decent promo from NYD here as he transitions from singles to tag team along with his new partner. We even gave him a new name to help differentiate between tag team and singles performance. They were both wearing grungy heavy metal tee-shirts, but with the names roughly spelt out The New York Dolls. And thus, a tag team is born.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The LA Stars vs. The New York Dolls (Eddie Braddock & The New York Doll Spike Sylvain)

In a decent match, The LA Stars defeated The New York Dolls in 9:42 when LA Star #2 pinned Spike Sylvain with a Star Destroyer.

Rating: 35

Bad start for the new team, but we weren’t about to sacrifice The LA Stars this close to Summer in the City. Still the match was decent and I liked the cut of the jib of the new team.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Chuck Casey vs. Denny King ©

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Denny King defeated Chuck Casey in 10:22 by pinfall with a Superplex. Denny King makes defence number five of the NYCW Tri-State Regional.

Rating: 37

Youngster gives veteran champion a run for his money before losing clean. It’s a classic staple of the genre and one delivered nicely here as these two have some nice chemistry.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: Crockett Tubbs & Geoff Borne vs. The Boys from the Yukon ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, The Boys From The Yukon defeated Crockett Tubbs and Geoff Borne in 10:18 when Howlin' Mad Mort pinned Crockett Tubbs with a Tiiiiiiiiiiimber. The Boys From The Yukon make defence number one of the NYCW Tag Team.

Rating: 41

#Crockett2theMoon is dead. After even a moment’s thought, I realised it was a pointless endeavour. The Boys from the Yukon get back to winning ways.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Hawkeye Calhoun vs. Vito Pirelli

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Vito Pirelli defeated Hawkeye Calhoun in 10:05 by pinfall after using a foreign object.

Rating: 37

Wowza, these two had great chemistry and their low-level matchup proves to be really decent considering. Vito even gets the win in dominant fashion to boost his (and his stable’s) stock even with the tainted finish.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Freedom Eagle vs. Luca Sacramoni

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Luca Sacramoni defeated Freedom Eagle in 10:01 by pinfall after using a foreign object.

Rating: 34

Not as good as the previous matchup thanks to the chemistry of these two, but with a similar outcome. Brooklyn’s Finest, now away from the tag team titles can begin to look to pursue singles matchups after the summer. Their parting gift to the tag team division is losses to boost The Italian Americans.

 

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Andrew Harper vs. Brutus Milano ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Brutus Milano defeated Masked Stranger and Andrew Harper in 9:43 when Brutus Milano submitted Masked Stranger with an Italian Backbreaker. Brutus Milano makes defence number five of the NYCW Empire.

Rating: 34

When in doubt, stick Brutus in matchups against multiple opponents so that he can be removed from the ring for the majority of the match and let Stranger and Harper go at it properly. I was really re-learning to hate Brutus Milano. Him and his stupid face.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William is out to criticise Brutus Milano, using phrases which I have literally used backstage (bless him). But we also takes some time to point out that New York City is terrible (cheers from crowd), but nowhere is as bad as Philadelphia (boos from crowd).

Rating: 62

The face turn is on hold again as he firmly plants himself in the heel column in Philly. The crowd were very vocal in their displeasure, which is fantastic.

 

COTT UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH: Tennessee William vs. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus ©

In an exceptional match, Riley McManus defeated Tennessee William in 21:58 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics. Riley McManus makes defence number two of the COTT United States.

Rating: 52

What’s good for the goose, is good for the gander as Riley is more than happy to use cheating tactics just like Tennessee did previously. Thus showing he is every bit his match in the ring. This was a fantastic match to end a really successful show in Philly. The crowd were vicious, but in a way that told us when we did something right and when we didn’t.

 

OVERALL RATING: 51

 

A whopping 21,665 viewers for the livestream too. A new record. As I celebrated with a beer backstage with the boys, trying my best to ignore Denny King and Fern making out in the corner, my mind wandered to the next show, which would be named in honour of our original Grand Slam winner and current road agent Steve Flash.

 

We’re back to New York City baby.

 

NYCW Flash of Glory

Friday, Week 3, May 2020

The Ministry, New York City, New York

Attendance: 571

 

SINGLES MATCH: Geoff Borne vs. Spike Sylvain

In a decent match, Spike Sylvain defeated Geoff Borne in 9:50 by pinfall with a Punk-N-Nasty.

Rating: 38

In a battle of the technically-proficent jobbers, it’s the former Doll who gets the nod thanks to help from his big mate outside the ring. Geoff Borne, much like Crockett Tubbs is someone who is so devoid of character and charisma that I literally can’t think what to do with any of them for a sustained period. At least Spike looked different from the average worker.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Crockett Tubbs vs. Denny King ©

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Denny King defeated Crockett Tubbs in 5:38 by pinfall with a Superplex. Denny King makes defence number six of the NYCW Tri-State Regional.

Rating: 42

Speaking of which. Finally a decent use of Crockett. Feeding him to the champ to boost those delicious defense stats. Not a lot else to say here.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Casey vs. Andrew Harper

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Andrew Harper defeated Chuck Casey in 5:35 by pinfall with a Spike Slam.

Rating: 32

Speaking of feeding workers to upper-midcard guys. I liked Casey’s upside, but he still had the stink of a jobber to the stars from his brother (who is currently being tested in tag teams with the rookies). We’d find a spot for him eventually, but he was still green as grass. Luckily he had loads of time and the right people around him to help him improve.

 

SINGLES MATCH: LA Star #2 vs. Whitehorse Whittaker

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, LA Star #2 defeated Whitehorse Whittaker in 9:50 by pinfall with a Flying Flip Neckbreaker.

Rating: 37

Without wanting to burn out the tag team matches too quickly, we split the champs and the challengers into singles matchups ahead of Summer in the City 2020. These two are the lesser members of each team and yet put on a decent little match even though they don’t click.

 

SINGLES MATCH: LA Star # 1 vs. Howlin’ Mad Mort

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Howlin' Mad Mort defeated LA Star #1 in 9:52 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics.

Rating: 41

The better workers delivered the better match. Both ended in non-clean finishes to protect everyone before the big showdown.

 

COTT UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH: ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus vs. Masked Stranger

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Masked Stranger defeated Riley McManus in 22:04 when Riley McManus was disqualified when Denny King ran in and attacked Masked Stranger.

Rating: 40

Surprise win for Masked Stranger here to continue building his momentum. This helped build his momentum which has been struggling since he lost the Tri-State title. Plus Riley could afford a DQ loss at this stage. He was nearly a made man in NYCW at this stage.

 

GANG BATTLE MATCH: Brutus Milano, Animal Harker & Brooklyn’s Finest vs. Tennessee William & The DiMeo Family

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Brutus Milano, Animal Harker and Brooklyn's Finest drew with Tennessee William, Sal DiMeo and The Italian Americans in 22:07 following a double count out.

Rating: 45

A modified Gang Wars match, but with 4 each side to end the last show before the big summer event. We paired people off and had them eventually draw to keep everyone on a even keel and to help promote the show. Who doesn’t want to see these guys blow off their feuds in preparation for the post-summer programme?

 

OVERALL RATING: 45

 

Solid if unspectacular show gets small bump in viewership with 22,898 tuning into the go-home show.

 

Next time… NYCW Summer in the City 2020…

[TCP1]

New York City… The hottest ticket in town, except those other ones…

 

It was the night of the big show and the whole locker room were glued around a television, watching hundreds of thousands of people lining the streets of Mexico as the body of El Patron made his way to his final resting place. The man who built an entire wrestling style on his shoulders had passed away and the people of Mexico were showing the world exactly how important he was to each and every one of them. Our silly little sport really could move people as much as ‘high art.’

 

Other than the funeral and the upcoming show, the talk of the locker room was Atom Smasher’s sudden rise to the very top of Supreme Wrestling Federation. A week earlier, the former Nevada Nuclear from right here in NYCW claimed his first SWF World Heavyweight Title. Nothing got the young wrestlers fired more than the chance to see a potential future for them in the big leagues. The path laid by the likes of Joey Morgan (Minnesota round these parts) and now Atom Smasher could well one day be followed by any of the guys in the locker room. Maybe not Brutus actually.

 

Masked Stranger was delighted following his pay rise to $100 per appearance and was chatting with Machine Gun Marino about Edward Cornell’s decision to join USPW. It was a big signing for them, but as amazing as he was. He wasn’t Tommy. Elsewhere COTT World Heavyweight champion Ernest Youngman had defeated Nelson Callum to add the PSW Championship to his collection. Quite the belt collector that boy. At this rate, he’d be snapped up by the big promotions in no time.

 

But enough of that doom-predicting. On with the big show.

 

NYCW Summer in the City 2020

Saturday, Week 4, June 2020

Reichstein Ballroom, New York City, New York

Attendance: 637

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Crockett Tubbs & Geoff Borne vs. The New York Dolls

In a decent match, The New York Dolls defeated Crockett Tubbs and Geoff Borne in 10:22 when Eddie Braddock pinned Geoff Borne with a Sedation.

Rating: 36

The new tag team come out to TAFKANYD’s intro of Hey Ho, Let’s Go and even have somewhat matching punk-like attire. And they grab a solid win against our seasoned veteran lower-card workers. This was a good opener.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Casey vs. Richie Riggins

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Richie Riggins defeated Chuck Casey in 10:27 by pinfall with a Body Bag.

Rating: 30

Richie Riggins gives the new boy a beating but struggles to pin him for some time. Chuck is really someone I should look to give a push to at some point, but with a crowded midcard and his lack of… anything notable makes that a tough proposition. But I’m a firm believer in taking opportunities when they arise. So hopefully his opportunity will one day arise.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Animal Harker & Brooklyn’s Finest vs. The DiMeo Family

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Animal Harker and Brooklyn's Finest defeated The DiMeo Family (Sal DiMeo, Vito Pirelli and Luca Sacramoni) in 10:28 when Animal Harker pinned Vito Pirelli with a Stump Piledriver.

Rating: 33

Well this was much better than the first two matches and had revived my hope for this roster. So much talent in here. The DiMeo’s get the win as they’re a proper stable, rather than a thrown together six-man team. Brooklyn’s Finest could take the loss and Harker didn’t have much else going on right now, mainly because of his Japanese commitments.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Denny King ©

In an exceptional match, Denny King defeated Masked Stranger in 21:58 by pinfall with a Superplex. Denny King makes defence number seven of the NYCW Tri-State Regional.

Rating: 44

In the final showdown between these two, it’s Denny who cements himself as the victor. However, with Stranger dealt with I realised I’d done a terrible job building up the next challenger. Oh dear oh dear. What was next for the Tri-State title? Who knew; certainly not me. The booker of the effing show. Great matchup to end the series though.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The LA Stars vs. The Boys from the Yukon ©

In a good match, The LA Stars defeated The Boys From The Yukon in 9:43 when LA Star #1 pinned Whitehorse Whittaker with a Star Destroyer. The LA Stars win the NYCW Tag Team.

Rating: 46

This would’ve meant a lot more impactful without the Brooklyn Finest’s interjection, but the plan was to always build-up The LA Stars ready for this match and they didn’t disappoint. I did worry about the next feud for them, because they’d ended up stuck in a feud with the Italian Americans, again, because of Brooklyn’s Finest. Fortunately we had a couple of rebranded punks ready to go.

 

COTT UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH: Andrew Harper vs. ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Riley McManus defeated Andrew Harper in 22:29 by pinfall with a Slingshot Suplex. Riley McManus makes defence number four of the COTT United States.

Rating: 46

Another great match and another feud blown-off. Andrew was ready for the main event scene and Riley was perfectly suited in his main event niche as our representative to the COTT. I’d actually miss these two squaring off; in many ways they were perfect compliments to one another. A big, bruising bully against an athletic over-achiever.

 

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE MATCH: Tennessee William vs. Brutus Milano ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Brutus Milano in 10:17 by pinfall with a Devil's Crossroad. Tennessee William wins the NYCW Empire.

Rating: 50

It’s time. Brutus’ in-ring issues were one thing. His lack of discernable star quality another. Plus Tennessee was on a hot streak, was better in the ring, better on the mic AND was recently featured in a magazine. Sometimes you just have to ride the hot hand. And that is what we did here. A great match for Brutus. About par for the course for Tennessee.

 

OVERALL RATING: 49

 

We got 23,519 viewers and made $7,030 profit, which as a season ender is good enough. I went back to Weston Gymnasium with my notepad and hundreds of storyline plans in my head. I definitely wanted a consistent show at some point to build a brand within our brand. I also wanted to do a big Confederation of the Territories show, although that took more planning. Outside of these things though, what I really needed was storylines. Lots of new storylines.

 

Next time… profits, powerhouses and pay rises…

[TCP1]

Charlotte, North Carolina… Where no matter your size, you can still make yourself look like a child…

 

Confederation of the Territories HQ

 

Sam Keith was talking to Larry awaiting the other arrival of the other owners. All three of us were dressed in black. The two big dogs of the alliance were wating time talking about wrestling. It barely seemed important at this stage.

 

“United States Pro Wrestling; THE top promotion in the whole world have made idiots of themselves in the news,” Keith said. “Unnecessarily worried about the SWF, Allen Packer made the decision to try and put-off their sponsors from choosing to advertise with them. SWF, and the not-afraid-of-controversy Eisen’s, noticed the transgression and have immediately launched legal action. The two biggest companies in America feuding like fat boys over a cupcake. How embarrassing for everyone.”

 

“You’re not wrong Keith,” Larry agreed. “You’re not wrong.”

 

The remaining owners took their seats with one notable absentee.

 

“Welcome gentleman,” Keith addressed the group. “As you should know by now, Gil Thomas, one of the founding fathers of this alliance, has died. I’d like to hold a one-minute silence in honour of the man who knew, in his heart, that this was the future of independent wrestling in the Americas.”

 

The room fell silent as requested.

 

The faces around the table genuinely looked sad to have lost Gil, who was someone I hadn’t had many dealings with. When the moment had passed, Sam switched back to business mode.

 

“Invincible Pro Wrestling, as one of the Founding Five will continue. With Gil’s passing, the company went to his kids, who had no interest in running it so have sold it on. It’s my pleasure to introduce to you, the new owner of IPW… ‘The Arizona Assassin’ Genghis Rahn.”

 

A tall, long-haired man who frankly could’ve been a homeless man from New York entered. He nodded at a few owners, including Larry, before taking Gil’s seat. He loudly chewed on sunflower seeds from his pocket and waited for a moment before irritatedly gesturing for the meeting to continue.

 

Next time… A new season of stories begin, with a BIG debut…

[TCP1]

New York City… Where gold equals GOLD…

 

In preparation for our new storylines and a soon-to-re-debut worker, I received word that Matthew White, one of our new referees had relocated to New York City. I know that stuff doesn’t matter, but personally it always made me feel like I was doing something right when one of the boys moved closer. Showed loyalty.

 

Pro Wrestling Reporter had reports about the sudden switch to Rocky Golden as SWF World Heavyweight Title. Atom Smasher had achieved zero defenses. It wasn’t exactly the story of a champion for the ages.

 

It was time to launch our new stories and switch things up a bit. At the request of Larry, we were going to start rolling out our young rookies to give them some experience of the main show proper, while our established stars would help them through.

 

On with the show.

 

NYCW Welcome to New York

Saturday, Week 2, July 2020

The Ministry, New York City, New York

Attendance: 655

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Crockett & Borne vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Crockett Tubbs and Geoff Borne in 10:20 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Crockett Tubbs, illegally using the ropes for leverage.

Rating: 31

The first of our debutants is the Cross River Connection tag team. A young twosome with overly stylish hair, good looks and terrible, entitled attitudes. Effectively hyper-popular jocks straight out of high school. The only better than their hair, is their chemistry and the name comes from the River which divides their home states of Minnesota and Wisconsin. Crockett and Borne help the two to a passable debut, although in in-ring terms the newcomers are already pretty polished.

 

SINGLES MATCH: James Diaz vs. Machine Gun Marino

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, James Diaz defeated Machine Gun Marino in 10:10 by pinfall with an Asian Thumb Spike.

Rating: 23

The son of ‘Monster’ Raymond Diaz (big in Japanese wrestling), James is a very talented all-rounder who also happens to be cousins with Logan Wolfsbaine, who recently did so well in the King of New York tournament. We roll out Machine Gun Marino to take a beating, which he does admirably. But the lack of wrestling history outside of New York means the fans don’t really recognise the significance of what they’ve just seen.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The Tagg Brothers vs. The New York Dolls

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, The New York Dolls defeated The Tagg Brothers in 8:23 when Kal Tagg was disqualified while fighting Eddie Braddock.

Rating: 29

And the final of the rookie debuts are The Tagg Brothers (Kal and Wolfie). These two Montana natives have spent the last few months growing out their hair and beards and perfecting their gimmick of no-nonsense, tough Deep South-inspired brawlers. They’re more loveable than violent at the moment, but clearly have the capacity and ring work to be both. They’d act as a decent low-level foil for the New York Dolls.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Casey vs. Richie Riggins

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Chuck Casey defeated Richie Riggins in 10:27 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics.

Rating: 30

The first of our mini-feuds begins in earnest. The idea being that we’d look to keep various mid-level and entry workers with something to do in order to make them more compelling and who knows, maybe a fantastic story might emerge from an unexpected place. Chuck takes the unexpected winin this match-up, but Richie looks strong in defeat against the kid.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: The Masked Mauler & Brooklyn’s Finest vs. The DiMeo Family

In a decent match, The DiMeo Family (Sal DiMeo, Vito Pirelli and Luca Sacramoni) defeated The Masked Mauler and Brooklyn's Finest in 10:03 when Luca Sacramoni pinned Hawkeye Calhoun after using a foreign object.

Rating: 32

The DiMeo’s get a much-needed win in their classic match-up style. We needed to propel The Italian Americans to the level of The LA Stars to make their incoming match-ups more compelling. The Boys from the Yukon would transition from the NYCW Tag Team Title race to something else for the time being.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Andrew Harper

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Andrew Harper defeated Masked Stranger in 10:12 by pinfall with a Spike Slam.

Rating: 41

It’s important to have a strong secondary heel in case of issues relating to chemistry or employment of the main one. Andrew Harper was absolutely custom built for that purpose. One day I suspect he’d be over enough to actually challenge for the main title properly, but for now he was the pinnacle of upper-midcard worker. His victory here helped cement that.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Boys from the Yukon vs. The LA Stars ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, The LA Stars defeated The Boys From The Yukon in 9:47 when LA Star #2 pinned Howlin' Mad Mort, illegally using the ropes for leverage. The LA Stars make defence number one of the NYCW Tag Team.

Rating: 44

Good match between the old enemies. This would be the Yukon’s last chance at the NYCW Tag Team gold. The LA Stars firmly establish themselves as the premier face tag team in the company. I loved all four of these guys.

 

UNIFICATION TITLE MATCH – COTT UNITED STATES AND NYCW TRI-STATE: ‘The Georgia Bulldog’ Riley McManus © vs. Denny King ©

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Riley McManus drew with Denny King in 21:33 when the referee lost control and stopped the match.

Rating: 51

A classic draw to save face for both workers. In a match-up about all the gold, this turned into quite a brutal match-up and ended with both men fighting into the crowd and out the arena. The crowd loved it as we kicked off the new feud with a bang.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William is out with his guitar in one hand, a microphone in the other and the NYCW Empire Title around his waist. “It’s me, it’s me, it’s Tennessee. William that is. And what a day, what a day. It’s been months in the making, but at last the title is home in its RIGHTFUL place. Around my waist. As I understand it, Brutus Pastrami wants to invoke his rematch clause tonight. Well, I’ve beat him before, I’ll happily do it again. But be warned, WHEN he loses tonight, there’ll be no more title shots for him while I’m champion. And seeing as I have no plans to lose anytime soon, looks like Brutus will need to find someone else to bother. Bring it on you Salami-stuffed nobody.”

Rating: 71

I do love me some Tennessee.

 

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE MATCH: Brutus Milano vs. Tennessee William ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Brutus Milano in 9:33 by pinfall with a Devil's Crossroad following interference from Andrew Harper. Tennessee William makes defence number one of the NYCW Empire.

Rating: 49

That’s right. For all his bluster, it took Andrew Harper getting involved to help Tennessee win the rematch. But win it he did, but we’re not finished yet…

 

ANGLE: Brutus Milano is in the ring on his knees as Tennessee William and Andrew Harper attack, laying Milano out two-on-one with a series of brutal chair shots and then, with Brutus suspended in the air, Tennessee sets up a table just for Andrew to powerbomb the former champion through. Just after doing so, Real American by Rick Derringer begins to play and all eyes turn to the entrance and huge, muscle-bound man in Red, White and Blue facepaint steps through the curtain. American Machine has returned to NYCW…

Rating: 65

Heeeee’s back!

 

OVERALL RATING: 49

 

Backstage the rookies were celebrating with the vets over their various debuts. The atmosphere was bubbly and exciting. As we listened to Freedom Eagle tell road stories, Tennessee William approached and told me he thinks Hawkeye Calhoun is really charismatic and a future star, which was neat.

 

The show brought us in 24,807 viewers, which is good stuff and continues our growth areas of both in-person ticket sales and number of regular watchers on WrestleWorld. Prep begin immediately for the next show and I discovered Atom Smasher had signed a big contract with USPW, which explained the sudden title loss. Good for him, another NYCW Alumni making big bucks. One day we’d be able to offer them that too. Speaking of alumni. The tag team Shark Cage have reunited in USPW and have now added the USPW World Tag Team Titles to their resume.

 

NYCW Old School Wrestling

Saturday, Week 3, July 2020

Reichstein Ballroom, New York City, New York

Attendance: 692

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Masked Stranger & Animal Harker vs. The Boys from the Yukon

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Masked Stranger and Animal Harker defeated The Boys From The Yukon in 10:19 when Animal Harker pinned Howlin' Mad Mort with a Stump Piledriver.

Rating: 48

Having lost the titles, the Boys from the Yukon have lost that air of invincibility and that’s all a wily veteran team like Stranger and Harker need to grab a win. Yukon could easily bounce back from the loss, but for Animal Harker in particular it elevated his standing back to upper-midcard star almost immediately. A nice threat to have in our pocket.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Hawkeye Calhoun vs. Ray Snow

In a decent match, Hawkeye Calhoun defeated Ray Snow in 7:35 by pinfall with a Home Run.

Rating: 38

Hawkeye Calhoun, a man somewhat lost in singles division without his partner. I had no doubt he had the talent to become a star in his own right and to ready him for that we brought Ray Snow out of the pre-show to help keep his momentum up. Match was a little disappointing though.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Crockett & Borne vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Geoff Borne and Crockett Tubbs defeated Cross River Connection in 7:34 when Crockett Tubbs submitted Perfect Pepper Pelton with a Subway STF.

Rating: 31

Revenge for the JOB Squad here. The Cross River Connection have fantastic upside, but they wouldn’t be getting the rocket treatment. The plan was to keep them bubbling away in mini-feuds while we built them up to a level of establishment that they’d be a threat to the titles. That was a way off at the moment.

 

SINGLES MATCH: James Diaz vs. Machine Gun Marino

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, Machine Gun Marino defeated James Diaz in 8:05 by count out.

Rating: 24

And in a pretty grim match, Machine Gun Marino tricks the rookie into a count out loss. The crowd had zero interest in this match and I’d have to look to improve the quality of opponents for both men asap.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: The Tagg Brothers vs. The New York Dolls

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, The New York Dolls defeated The Tagg Brothers in 8:20 when Eddie Braddock pinned Wolfie Tagg after using a foreign object.

Rating: 32

The Taggs, like the Cross River Connection have good upside, but they’re not on the level of Spike and Eddie. We gave them the good grace to lose after Spike used some brass knucks to cheat. But a loss is a loss. The New York Dolls continue to make a name for themselves.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Casey vs. Richie Riggins

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Richie Riggins defeated Chuck Casey in 9:40 by pinfall with a Body Bag after Cheerleader Nicki interfered.

Rating: 32

Riggins gets another win over the kid, this time with help from the indomitable Cheerleader Nicki. With both Nicki and Fern on the roster, we really should look to drag them into stories a bit more. In fact a Nicki vs. Hathaway feud would do the job quite nicely. Definitely something to think about.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Freedom Eagle vs. Denny King ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Denny King defeated Freedom Eagle in 22:22 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Denny King makes defence number nine of the NYCW Tri-State Regional.

Rating: 41

Denny does love to cheat doesn’t he? A solid Tri-State Champion since January, he spent the entirety of the match with one eye on Riley McManus, who was on special commentary. Riley, lacking a huge amount of charisma did a passable job in running down his rival while continuously threatening to interfere; although he never did.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Riley McManus & The LA Stars vs. The DiMeo Family

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Riley McManus and The LA Stars defeated The DiMeo Family (Sal DiMeo, Vito Pirelli and Luca Sacramoni) in 21:51 when Riley McManus pinned Sal DiMeo with a Slingshot Suplex.

Rating: 40

Having been on commentary for the last match, Riley now has to perform while Denny King forces himself into the announce booth for this match. Denny is more naturally gifted on the mic and spends the majority of this good match running down McManus and the COTT United States Title. The end of the match involves the Georgia Bulldog pointing at Denny before delivering his finisher to Sweet Sal and pinning him. Pretty heroic stuff.

 

ANGLE: Real American hits and here comes American Machine. He’s been gone from NYCW for some time and he doesn’t like what’s happened to the Empire Title. It’s in the hands of a cheat and if there’s one thing he hates more than communists, it’s cheats. So he’s returned… home. To teach Fat Elvis a lesson and bring honour back to the greatest title in all of professional wrestling. He’s doing it for himself, for the fans and for the United States of America.

Rating: 68

Yeah so we’re going big on the Heroic American Patriot schtick. But you know what? It has it’s place, especially in a company like ours.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Brutus Milano & American Machine vs. Tennessee William & Andrew Harper

In a bout that had fantastic heat and good wrestling, Brutus Milano and American Machine defeated Tennessee William and Andrew Harper in 21:49 when American Machine pinned Andrew Harper with an Old Glory.

Rating: 52

Great match as American Machine makes his mark with a clean pin against our number two heel in a back-and-forth affair. We restricted Brutus’ involvement as much as possible and it with that were able to deliver the best possible match-up.

 

OVERALL RATING: 51

 

Hugely positive show with a record 27,256 viewers tuning in. Nothing was going to stop us now…

 

Next time… Something does indeed, stop us…

[Theheel]

SINGLES MATCH: Chuck Casey vs. Richie Riggins

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Chuck Casey defeated Richie Riggins in 10:27 by pinfall by using underhanded tactics.

Rating: 30

The first of our mini-feuds begins in earnest. The idea being that we’d look to keep various mid-level and entry workers with something to do in order to make them more compelling and who knows, maybe a fantastic story might emerge from an unexpected place. Chuck takes the loss in this match-up, but looks strong in defeat against the bully.

 

So did Riggins pull this one out actually?

[TCP1]

So did Riggins pull this one out actually?

 

Good spot. There’s that incorrect button-pushing which curses my storylines. Still, good for Chuck…

[TCP1]

New York City… Home of the true American hero…

 

The mood backstage was growing in positivity each week and some of the boys were taking the opportunity to ask for pay rises. The first to mention the subject was LA Star #2 who wanted his wages boosted from $20 to $80, which was such a small increase it seemed rude not to bite his hand off for it.

 

News from around the industry included The Extreme Corps (Copperhead and Deuce Deadline) winning the Sam Keith Classic X. Gil Thomas being inducted into the IPW Hall of Fame and our little promotion making $6,012 profit and thus upgrading our Production Values to Professional. I was intent on being the best produced show on the independent scene.

 

Following our monthly meeting with the Confederation of the Territories, we planned on a number of matches, all approved by the board. In this week’s COTT special, Riley McManus would defend his COTT United States title against the number one contender from CZCW; Frankie P-Dawg’ Perez. While COTT World Tag Team Champions Freedom Force put up their belts against The Boys from the Yukon. And finally, the Second City Saint Ernest Youngman would defend the COTT World Heavyweight Title against new number one contender… American Machine. That’s good stuff.

 

NYCW Battle of the Territories

Saturday, Week 2, August 2020

Reichstein Ballroom, New York City, New York

Attendance: 713

 

SINGLES MATCH: Freedom Eagle vs. Sal DiMeo

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Freedom Eagle defeated Sal DiMeo in 10:26 by pinfall with a Freedom Slam.

Rating: 40

Sweet Sal had perfected the art of losing to up-and-coming face singles performers. I was amazed at my own ability not to effectively push someone with his upside, but there was always someone else to use in his stead. Being the de facto number four heel was a tough spot for him, but I’d eventually find something for him to do.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Animal Harker & Crockett & Borne vs. Richie Riggins & The New York Dols

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Richie Riggins and The New York Dolls defeated Animal Harker, Geoff Borne and Crockett Tubbs in 9:57 when Eddie Braddock pinned Geoff Borne with a Choke Bomb.

Rating: 37

Animal gets stuck with the Job Squad to give them a bit of punch, but nothing stops THE BEAST from doing his thing. The continued push of The New York Dolls is an example to the other boys. Doesn’t matter who you are, if you can work and adopt characters who sell tickets and merch, we will push you. Sometimes we’ll push you even if you don’t do those things, but only normally if your name is Brutus Milano.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Hawkeye Calhoun vs. Denny King ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Hawkeye Calhoun defeated Denny King in 10:09 by pinfall with a Home Run following interference from Riley McManus. Hawkeye Calhoun wins the NYCW Tri-State Regional.

Rating: 49

A title change, in the wild, at this time of year? Madness. Denny King was embroiled in a feud with someone who didn’t need the title and in many ways having him champion restricted the feud. Now King has further reason to HATE McManus. The quality of the matches has been great and their feud is reaching nuclear heat levels.

 

COTT WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Boys from the Yukon vs. Freedom Force ©

In a decent match, The Boys From The Yukon defeated Freedom Force in 10:13 when Whitehorse Whittaker pinned Kip Keenan with a Tiiiiiiiiiiimber. The Boys From The Yukon win the COTT World Tag Team.

Rating: 40

That’s right baby! We executed our plan for the Yukon Boys nicely here. Just when everyone thought they were out of the tag title conversation, they step up and claim the World Tag Team titles. Our big, lovely Lumberjack Hoss’ destroy the FREEDOM reps in a decent match and bring the gold to NYCW for the first time since The Ring Generals.

 

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE MATCH: Masked Stranger vs. Tennessee William ©

In a bout that had fantastic heat and great wrestling, Tennessee William defeated Masked Stranger in 9:44 by pinfall with a handful of tights. Tennessee William makes defence number two of the NYCW Empire.

Rating: 53

Tennessee is now actively avoiding American Machine while defending his title. He doesn’t even get mic time this week as we clearly wanted to get in, defend his title and get out. The crowd sang Real American throughout the match and Tennessee, always the professional, kept irately yelling at them to shut up. Class act as always. Good match in a series of them from our champion to boot.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Brutus Milano & The LA Stars vs. Andrew Harper & The Italian Americans

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Andrew Harper and The Italian Americans defeated Brutus Milano and The LA Stars in 10:05 when Vito Pirelli pinned LA Star #1 with a handful of tights.

Rating: 40

Andrew Harper borrows the muscle of the DiMeo Family to help him in his war against Brutus Milano and they repay that favour by pinning the tag team champions in a classic Gang Wars match. Good stuff all round and a safe way to limit Brutus’ involvement in actual wrestling matches.

 

COTT UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH: Frankie Perez vs. Riley McManus ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Frankie Perez defeated Riley McManus in 21:48 by submission with a P-Clutch after interference from Denny King. Frankie Perez wins the COTT United States.

Rating: 46

Great match as Frankie makes his debut in NYCW. He also gets the title after Denny King slipped in the ring behind the referee’s back and delivered a Slingshot Suplex, McManus’ own finisher, against him. That is some superb douche-baggery right there. The time was right to move the title onto a new Champion and Riley had a red hot blood feud to be involved with, and in many ways, he brought this on himself. Twist.

 

ANGLE: American Machine is out with the crowd singing his entrance song.

“I came here to prove that if you say your prayers and eat your vitamins you can achieve anything. Well you know something New York City, I am the living embodiment of the American Dream. And tonight, this dream comes true as I become the World Heavyweight Champion.”

The crowd cheers as Bring Back the Glory by Zardonic & Voicians begins to clear.

The champ, is here!

Rating: 65

 

COTT WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE MATCH: American Machine vs. Ernest Youngman ©

In an exceptional match, American Machine defeated Ernest Youngman in 21:59 when Ernest Youngman was disqualified when Tennessee William ran in and attacked American Machine.

Rating: 58

SWERVE. Tennessee never did leave the building. Laying in wait, he delivered a crushing blow to the American hero against the always-superb Ernest Youngman. This was the best match in our entire companies history and has set the bar for the months ahead. Unlikely we’d get anyone to this level again anytime soon. But on this night, these two men let it all hang out. Awesome.

 

OVERALL RATING: 57

 

We got a hearty 30,885 viewers, the bump no doubt because of Ernest Youngman. But that was a show to remember. After the show we heard some rather interesting news from around the industry. Fristly Pablo Rodriguez was leaving CZCW to join USPW. The former COTT World Heavyweight champion had been putting on amazing matches for years and had earnt himself what would likely be one last pay day for his troubles. Elsewhere, the always forward-thinking FREEDOM Caribbean Wrestling were at it again, signing; Kurt Laramee, Big Smack Scott, Eddie Peak & Bart Biggins. That was quite the line-up of talent and a huge gamble too. The amount of money they’d be spending on that lot wasn’t cheap. But good luck to them.

 

NYCW No Exit

Saturday, Week 3, August 2020

Reichstein Ballroom, New York City, New York

Attendance: 756

 

SINGLES MATCH: The Masked Mauler vs. Ray Snow

In a decent match, The Masked Mauler defeated Ray Snow in 7:57 by submission with an Iron Claw.

Rating: 35

That’s right. It’s time for the latest incarnation of the legendarily gimmicked Masked Mauler to make his home in NYCW. This one (the seventh) is actually a little better conditioned than the last. He’s green, but providing he can avoid injury he stands a good chance of at least reaching the heights of the future NYCW Hall of Famer who famously teamed with Rick Sanders as Old School Principals. Wearing a similar plain black mask and deploying the Iron Claw as his finisher, we had high hopes for the kids immediate future.

 

COTT WORLD TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Tagg Brothers vs. The Boys from the Yukon ©

In a decent match, The Boys From The Yukon defeated The Tagg Brothers in 10:12 when Howlin' Mad Mort pinned Wolfie Tagg by using underhanded tactics. The Boys From The Yukon make defence number one of the COTT World Tag Team.

Rating: 34

Flush with their new gold, the Yukon Boys make short work of the feisty Montana-born Tagg Brothers. The unheralded duo actually gave a great account of themselves here despite losing, and were even able to force the big lads to use cheating tactics to win.

 

SINGLES MATCH: James Diaz vs. Machine Gun Marino

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but terrible wrestling, James Diaz defeated Machine Gun Marino in 7:57 by pinfall with an Asian Thumb Spike.

Rating: 26

We’ve brought Diaz back again after a week off to blow off this mini-feud. He absolutely buries Machine Gun Marino in a dominant performance. Crowd are still struggling to get into him, probably because ‘son of a monster’ isn’t really a gimmick they’d like or care about. But he was too talented to give up on. For now.

 

TAG TEAM MATCH: Tubbs & Borne vs. Cross River Connection

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Cross River Connection defeated Crockett Tubbs and Geoff Borne in 10:09 when Prime Time Jack Pryde pinned Crockett Tubbs with a Prime Time Perfection.

Rating: 32

Another mini-feud ends with a clean victory of the obnoxious jocks from Minnesota-Wisconsin. Their finisher ‘Prime Time Perfection’ involves Prime Time delivering a top rope superplex on one turnbuckles, while Perfect leaps of the one along hitting a big splash on the opponent as they crash to the mat from the first move. It’s pretty sweet.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Animal Harker vs. Richie Riggins

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Richie Riggins defeated Animal Harker in 9:39 by pinfall with a Body Bag after Cheerleader Nicki interfered.

Rating: 37

Richie with his first big win of the year. He has a decent upside and a great gimmick that I’ve been sleeping on. He has a natural ability to connect with the crowd too, which should not be overlooked. Animal could afford the loss after a number of singles match victories throughout the year so far.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Brutus Milano, Freedom Eagle & Masked Stranger vs. Andrew Harper & The New York Dolls

In a bout that had great heat and decent wrestling, Andrew Harper and The New York Dolls defeated Brutus Milano, Freedom Eagle and Masked Stranger in 10:28 when Andrew Harper pinned Masked Stranger by using underhanded tactics.

Rating: 41

I was enjoying the rotating cast of Gang Wars lineups we were using to progress the Andrew Harper and Brutus Milano story. Because they all made Harper look dominant and they kept Brutus’ in-ring participation to a minimum. It’s the perfect story for him. Hah.

 

NYCW TRI-STATE TITLE MATCH: Sal DiMeo vs. Hawkeye Calhoun ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, Hawkeye Calhoun defeated Sal DiMeo in 9:51 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Hawkeye Calhoun makes defence number one of the NYCW Tri-State Regional.

Rating: 41

Do you need a mid-level heel to lose in singles competition? Then look no further than Sweet Sal. A man so despised that people will pay to see him lose on and off forever. Solid first defense for Hawkeye, whose push was secured after Tennessee endorsed him.

 

NYCW TAG TEAM TITLE MATCH: The Italian Americans vs. The LA Stars ©

In a bout that had good heat and decent wrestling, The LA Stars defeated The Italian Americans in 10:01 when Luca Sacramoni was disqualified while fighting LA Star #2. The LA Stars make defence number two of the NYCW Tag Team.

Rating: 32

The start to this match was great until Luca Sacramoni bruised tail bone after mistiming a spot. From there Vito was left to pick up the pieces on his own. The LA Stars did their best, but this feud does not have anywhere near the heat of our other stories, or in fact, our previous tag team title feud. Disappointing really.

 

SINGLES MATCH: Riley McManus vs. Denny King

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, Riley McManus drew with Denny King in 22:24 when the referee lost control and stopped the match.

Rating: 52

BLOOD FEUD! These two beat the ever-loving Hell out of one another and yet again there was no victor as the violence and hatred was so strong that the ref had to call an end to it as the locker room piled out to pull them apart. It’s nice to see Riley McManus showing some emotion.

 

VIDEO: A slickly produced video highlighting both Tennessee William and American Machine’s NYCW careers plays.

Rating: 41

Ok, not doing that again.

 

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE MATCH: American Machine vs. Tennessee William ©

In an exceptional match, Tennessee William defeated American Machine in 22:01 by pinfall, illegally using the ropes for leverage. Tennessee William makes defence number three of the NYCW Empire.

Rating: 55

Just win baby. Nothing stops Tennessee from keeping his belt. American Machine dominated throughout, but Tennessee always had a kick-out in him. And when the opportunity arose, Tennessee rolled him up, grabbed the back of the tights and put his feet on the ropes to make triple sure.

 

OVERALL RATING: 54

 

A static 30,217 viewers watched that show and we were now ready for a big Gang Wars 2020. We gave Hawkeye Calhoun and The Italian Americans a pay rise to $80. Julius Moor won the USPW World Championship from Rich Money and SWF had offered a contract to Enygma.

 

Speaking of which; as we planned our biggest event of the year so far, Tennessee William came to see me in my office. In his hand was a large brown envelope.

 

“That a sparkly contract request?” I joked.

 

Tennessee didn’t respond. DAMN IT!

 

Next time… Eurgh…

[TCP1]

New York City… Where Gangs go to War…

 

Tennessee had opened the envelope and showed me a shiny new contract from Supreme Wrestling Federation. DAMN IT! I smiled with no joy and shook the man’s hand. He’d been such a stalwart for the company for so many years that it was the least I could do. I considered how fortunate we were to have given him his Grand Slam victory mere weeks before his inevitable departure. This meant we needed to rewrite the upcoming show, the storylines for afterwards and me, Larry and Steve had to figure out a new main event story.

 

In the build-up to the show we’d discovered that Cheerleader Nicki had started dating Spike. The cynic in my wondered if they had got together since Spike had started to actually win? But it’s best not to pry into others relationships.

 

NYCW Gang Wars 2020

Saturday, Week 4, September 2020

Reichstein Ballroom, New York City, New York

Attendance: 796

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Casey, Crockett & Tubbs vs. Richie Riggins & Cross River Connection

In a bout that didn't have much heat and terrible wrestling, Richie Riggins and Cross River Connection defeated Chuck Casey, Crockett Tubbs and Geoff Borne in 10:30 when Perfect Pepper Pelton pinned Chuck Casey with a Fisherman's Suplex.

Rating: 32

The full job squad did their best here, but the combo of Richie and the Douchebags (good band name there) were too strong for them. A solid opener.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Freedom Eagle & The Tagg Brothers vs. The DiMeo Family

In a bout that didn't have much heat and terrible wrestling, The DiMeo Family (Sal DiMeo, Vito Pirelli and Luca Sacramoni) defeated Freedom Eagle and The Tagg Brothers in 10:08 when Luca Sacramoni pinned Kal Tagg by using underhanded tactics.

Rating: 32

The DiMeo’s had been struggling to get wins recently, so we sacrificed Freedom Eagle and our young team at the altar of Italian American dominance. Fortunately Luca had recovered from his minor injury so the match was fine. Not great. Just fine.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Riley McManus, Hawkeye Calhoun & Masked Stranger vs. Denny King & The New York Dolls

In a bout that had a decent reaction from the crowd but sub-par wrestling, Denny King and The New York Dolls defeated Riley McManus, Hawkeye Calhoun and Masked Stranger in 20:21 when Eddie Braddock pinned Hawkeye Calhoun with a Choke Bomb.

Rating: 43

This was a match about one thing; The Georgia Bulldog and Denny King hating one another. Every time they were in the ring, the crowd went wild. Every time it was the others, the crowd were less into it. The win here for Team Denny gave them the boost they all needed, while the faces were popular enough not to have to worry about it too much. Not that you could tell from the disgusted look on Riley’s face.

 

GANG WARS MATCH: Brutus Milano & The LA Stars vs. Andrew Harper & The Boys from the Yukon

In a decent match, Andrew Harper and The Boys From The Yukon defeated Brutus Milano and The LA Stars in 22:09 when Andrew Harper pinned Brutus Milano with a Spike Slam.

Rating: 37

Brutus and the tag champs vs. Harper and the tag champs was a hugely disappointing affair considering. It’s placement after the super-hot last match didn’t help. Neither did me specifically telling them to protect Brutus as much as possible. So we were all treated to a seven minute segment involving an Italian Bearhug. It’s indistinguishable from a normal bearhug, with the only difference being that it sends the crowd to sleep too.

 

ANGLE: Tennessee William is out before his match He grabs microphone, looks out at the crowd, who are clearly smarter than I thought. He then threw the mic away, dropped his guitar and fired up; yelled for American Machine to ‘Bring it!’

Rating: 85

Good segment.

 

NYCW EMPIRE TITLE MATCH: American Machine vs. Tennessee William ©

In a bout that had great heat and good wrestling, American Machine defeated Tennessee William in 22:22 by pinfall with an Old Glory. American Machine wins the NYCW Empire.

Rating: 61

Best. Match. Ever.

 

OVERALL RATING: 54

 

THE show was a success with more viewers than last month. A total of 31,763 viewers to be precise along with a healthy $4,850 profit. We had one show left with Tennessee and we were going to send him out in style.

 

Next time… A Southern Farewell…